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HERPETIC WHITLOW
I am a 22 year old female. Back in April 2009 my little finger on my left hand started to tingle and itch alot. I washed my hands and applied lotion but it did nothing. My left hand started to hurt the next day and it felt like lightning was shooting in my hand and burning. A group of nasty looking clear blisters that were tender to the touch appeared on the side of my little finger. It was still itching and hurting alot. I hit my hand against something and popped one of the blisters some of what was inside got on my left wrist. The very next day the same blisters appeared there as well. My Mother told me to put a hot towel on it and some nepsporin. I did but it did not help. I was scared and wanted to go to the ER but no one would take me and said that I was overreacting and that it was nothing. The pain got worst and it felt like something was popping inside the blisters. I kept my left hand cleaned and covered. I also did not touch anyone and would clean it with alcohol after washing. Two days had passed and I could no longer take the pain or worry and begged my Mother to take me to the ER. Once seen the ER Docter told me I had HSV1 and gave me ACYCLOVIR 400mg tablets. I took 3 pills a day for 10 days. I did not realize that I was having a bad reaction to the pills until I finished them all. I made an appiontment to see my real docter when the blisters still had not gone away. He took a viral culture and it came back negative. He told me that the ER docter was wrong and that I should not have been taking those pills. He said that I did not have HSV1 and that I was fine. But the blisters have come back repeatedly over the years on the same hand and the same finger. It's always the same symptoms before the blisters appear and I can feel it coming. It only shows up after a cold or while I am having one. I have been back to my docter over the years and he says that I am fine and not to worry. I am scared that he is very wrong and that I have or will give this to a loved one. I keep it clean and covered, and only take the band-aid off at night so it can breathe and dry out. It takes 2 to 3 weeks to heal. I have not had any genital sores ever, but I have had itching and pain like lighting in my privates and up and down my left leg. I keep getting tested (pap smear) and nothing ever comes back.
no reason for a rapid hsv2 igg blood test - you need full testing for hsv1 and hsv2. typically whitlow is hsv1. A + hsv1 test though still tells you nothing about what is going on with your finger. it would need confirmed with a lesion culture of active symptoms.
Thank you for your info. I will be sure to visit a Dermatologist the next time it appears. I have also made an appiontment to get a Westen Blot test and I hope that it is not what I have been fearing all this time. I also want to get a POCkit test done but have been told that they don't do those anymore. If it is HSV1 OR HSV2 I will be very upset and highly pissed because I have repeatedly been to my Docter and he has continued to tell me I'm fine.
if you do confirm this is whiltow, you can start treating it at the very first sign of a recurrence with higher dose acyclovir or valtrex to help speed healing and shorten shedding of the virus .
of course a culture is going to come back negative 10 days later - you had already taken acyclovir and it was too far into things for a lesion culture to be accurate. your regular provider unfortunately wasted your money with herpes lesion culturing at that point :(
it's really unfortunate that the ER doc didn't do a culture. No way to tell if it's herpes or what type it is from just a visual exam.
at this point the best thing you can do is the next time you have symptoms, be seen within 48 hours of the appearance of symptoms and get a herpes pcr swab done. you can even consult a dermatologist and see about having the supplies at home to do yourself and drop off at the office. you need to confirm this is herpes whitlow at this point for sure.
pap testing isn't std testing. it also is not herpes testing.
grace
it's really unfortunate that the ER doc didn't do a culture. No way to tell if it's herpes or what type it is from just a visual exam.
at this point the best thing you can do is the next time you have symptoms, be seen within 48 hours of the appearance of symptoms and get a herpes pcr swab done. you can even consult a dermatologist and see about having the supplies at home to do yourself and drop off at the office. you need to confirm this is herpes whitlow at this point for sure.
pap testing isn't std testing. it also is not herpes testing.
grace
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
